INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS TUANKU BAINUN
PULAU PINANG
TASK 1: ESSAY (INDIVIDUAL)
NAME : LOUISELY ANAK LORRY
INDEX NUMBER : 2020302340309
IDENTITY CARD NUMBER : 010607130485
CLASS/GROUP : 3 PISMP TESL 2
CODE AND NAME OF COURSE : TSLB3243 CHILDREN & LITERACY
LECTURER’S NAME : MADAM DAYANG MAHERAN BT. AHMAD
DATE OF SUBMISSION : 30TH JULY 2021
I, LOUISELY ANAK LORRY, hereby declare that I have understood and accepted the feedback
given by my lecturer.
SIGNATURE: DATE:
TSLB3243 CHILDREN & LITERACY
TASK 1: ESSAY
3 PISMP TESL 2
Louisely anak Lorry
Based on the task 1 given, I have decided to do an essay regarding print knowledge
based on a research paper titled Print Referencing During Read-Alouds: A Technique for
Increasing Emergent Readers’ Print Knowledge a research by Tricia A. Zucker, Allison E.
Ward, and Laura M. Justice. In my opinion, the researcher really did a great research on
how teacher can implement print knowledge on young children. The research is about how
classroom teachers and reading specialists can effectively increase emergent readers’ print
knowledge. Print referencing is techniques a teacher can use to increase emergent readers’
knowledge about and interest in print by highlighting the forms, functions, and features of
print during read-alouds. Most adults view read-alouds as a time to discuss story meaning or
comprehension skills and rarely take advantage of opportunities to talk about print-related
skills (Ezell & Justice, 2000). In the research paper, authors stated that teacher could
increase emergent readers’ print knowledge by using an evidence-based technique called
print referencing. This is to ensure that classroom read-alouds include not only a focus on
comprehension and meaning but also a complementary focus on print. Other benefits is it
will develop children’s metalinguistic understanding of print and fostering children’s interest
in print during a familiar and highly contextualized social activity. An important aspect of print
knowledge that can be used as a guidance by teachers is the movement toward viewing
emergent literacy as an important and observable period of reading development (Clay,
2000). There are four broad domains of print knowledge may be addressed using print
referencing (Justice & Ezell, 2000, 2002, 2004) which are print as an object of meaning,
book organization and print conventions, alphabet knowledge and concept of word. The four
broad domains of print knowledge encompass 15 specific print targets (Justice, Sofka,
Sutton & Zucker, 2006). Authors also wrote on when and how teachers can integrate print
referencing. A teacher should use print referencing when it seems to add value to a read-
aloud experience in terms of furthering children’s print knowledge. The reason is because
read-aloud provides an exemplary opportunity to incorporate print referencing to heighten
children’s attention to and learning about print. Other than that, the research paper also
stated on how teacher can get young students fully engage when using print referencing.
One of the way stated is by using social activities such as read-alouds to foster a positive
orientation to literacy. Further elaboration on this is because young children typically find
print as interesting as other text stimuli like illustration. It can promote children’s positive
orientation towards literacy. To get the students fully engage by linking printed text to
meaningful print in the children’s lives. For example, teacher points to the words tiger and
connects the print to children’s own names. Research has indicated that children’s names
TSLB3243 CHILDREN & LITERACY
TASK 1: ESSAY
3 PISMP TESL 2
Louisely anak Lorry
constitute a unit of print that is of great interest to young children (Clay, 2000; Treiman &
Broderick, 1998).
Implication to Teaching Early Literacy In Children
Young children will be able to develop important knowledge about the forms and
functions of print. This serve as a foundation for later achievements in word recognition and
reading comprehension. Children will be able to develop other literacy skills such as reading,
spelling, and handwriting. Other than that, children will understand how the system of print
works. Such as, reading text should be read from left to right, top to bottom, sentences start
with capital letters and end with periods, and many more. This will really help young children
for their future in learning especially reding a higher standard of text. When having reading
aloud session and graphic print is used, it is more likely young children will be more
interested in learning as young children tend to understand picture better especially if the
picture is a cartoon they can relate to. For example, during my previous session last year,
the teacher told me to try teaching the students. Hence, I had to find a way to make them
more interested in my teaching. During the lesson, I tried a text-based print and I find that
they seem less interested and bored. So, I thought of improvising by drawing a picture of
“Upin dan Ipin” which is a cartoon series and relate to the teaching which is simple sentence.
I have concluded that young children will engage more if it is something they can relate to or
something that they love.
